


butterfly

by hypsoline



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Bruises, Implied Relationships, Introspection, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:22:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29680431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypsoline/pseuds/hypsoline
Summary: “Please don’t do it Langa.” He says it softly, so nobody else in the skate park can hear them. The orange glow of the afternoon paints his eyes and hair in a soft, golden hue. Langa is suddenly reminded of autumn back in Canada, and raking the leaves on his front porch with his dad every year. But that was a long, long time ago. Okinawa’s colors are bold all year long.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki, Hasegawa Langa/Shindo Ainosuke | Adam
Kudos: 73





	butterfly

**Author's Note:**

> Langa/Adam and Langa/Reki implied. Set sometime in the beginning/middle of episode 7.

“Please don’t do it Langa.”

He says it softly, so nobody else in the skate park can hear them. The orange glow of the afternoon paints his eyes and hair in a soft, golden hue. Langa is suddenly reminded of autumn back in Canada, and raking the leaves on his front porch with his dad every year.

But that was a long, long time ago.

Okinawa’s colors are bold all year long.

“Okay.”

There is a stone by his left foot, he taps it around under his shoe. He can feel Reki’s concerned gaze on him still, as he goes and gets his skate that wondered off to the side. Langa stays a while longer on the beat concrete, where he fell, tying back his converse shoes extra safely, so he doesn’t trip again.

Dumbass rookie mistake.

Reki gives him his skate back and turns to where Miya is sitting, safely guarding their school backpacks. Miya who, of course, doesn’t bother to look up from his switch.

“Hmm… this way won’t do. If you keep tripping like that you won’t defeat Adam, _SNOW_.”

Reki shoots him a glance.

“You guys,” he starts, gulping some water from his DOPE SKETCH bottle “--are crazy about that dude. He is dangerous!”

Miya frowns, displeased with both the game on his switch and the turn the conversation is making, for the tenth time that day.

“Yeah well, if I recall you were a fan of his as well.”

“That was different, I—“, Reki looks distressed but plays into it,”It was before I faced him. I didn’t know he was so ruthless.”

“You have to be ruthless in this sport.”, Miya puts both arms behind him in an innocent manner, after guarding his switch in his uniform pocket. “Look, slime—kidding! Reki”, he corrects himself, amused “ADAM is on a different level. You have to be really good y’know? It’s why everybody wants to prove themselves by joining his tournament! It’s fine if you’re too weak.”

“Yeah? I wouldn’t have had to face him if he didn’t put you down! You owe me one, Miya. Thanks a lot.”

Reki’s face is almost as red as his hair. He shoves his water bottle in his bag, clearly upset. Miya gasps.

“W-well! That’s true but I—I want to defend myself this time.”

“Yeah, whatever kid.”

“I will win! You will see. I will be the one to avenge you!”

“Don’t come to me if you end up in the hospital like I did.”

Miya makes a disgusted face at him, sticking out his tongue. Reki’s face is red. He side glances at Langa expecting some sort of support, but Langa is on his phone scrolling through something.

“Sorry… what were you talking about?”

Reki sighs, runs a hand through his hair and gets his skate under his arm.

“I’m beat. Do you guys want to have something to eat?”

*

  
  
They get hamburgers, shakes and fries but Langa is still hungry by the time he gets home.

He starts dinner and sets aside a few small containers. He is sort of getting the hang of this Japanese bento thing, and wants to bring his own to school as well, instead of resorting to store bought. Reki’s bentos always look so delicious and beautiful, truly something his mother makes for him.

*

At the bath, he is tired and sore as usual. Always a couple bruises and scratches on him at all times now. The skin on his hips looks like bruised fruit.

Compared to snowboarding, skating’s bruises don’t often last long but do multiply easily. Not all of them will leave scars, though Reki has a really cool one. It’s from a really nasty fall he took last year, on his left knee. He excitedly showed it to him at lunch a few weeks ago, when they were comparing falls and past bruises. It looked like the silhouette of a small dinosaur. Cool indeed, but it must’ve hurt like hell.

Langa isn’t distressed about it, especially not as a long time snowboarder. He has seen his share of scratches, scabs, bloodied skin, exposed bone and raw red tissue.

A few winters ago, he broke an arm doing what should have been a simple, easy turn down a hill. He slipped, went up against a pine tree with such violence that a couple of bystanders rushed to him right away. He could taste iron in his mouth and the blood rapidly darkened his powder blue jacket. His dad was quick to the medical center in a haste.

They had to cut the trip short after that, but Langa had gotten hot cocoa every day.  
  


*

His mother is home and they eat dinner together. Afterwards, homework takes up his last hours of freedom for the evening. He can’t help but feel like it always takes him twice as longer than everyone else because he still has trouble with kanji.

Langa starts to watch a video compilation Reki sent him earlier, but it’s late so he gets into bed.

  
His phone beeps, once, twice.

It’s that notification again, unread. By now, it’s buried under messages from his mom and Reki. Heck, even one or two from Shadow. But it’s still a reminder and it's still there.

He feels guilty, to a point. But it’s unfair and surely Reki is exaggerating the whole thing. Adam is a fantastic skater, bold and not afraid to take risks. What’s the issue with wanting to compete against that? Shouldn’t you get better by surpassing the best?

He is reminded of Reki’s bloodshot eyes and his trembling hands after that race, how afraid they all were while waiting for him in the hospital. Langa runs his own hand over his left arm, the one that he broke, badly, years ago, on that snow trip. He has seen stuff happen to other people, even on those videos him and Reki watch all the time. It’s always a risk, skating is no different. Reki knows this.

How bad could it be?

He closes his eyes.

But his brain can’t stop. He is reminded again of that race. Of the rattling on the ground under the wheels, of his weight on his board when they collided and combined in one, single board. Of one hand on his waist and a strange shift in himself. His blood rising to his temples and his balance and his speed blurring his vision. 

He really did manage to fly, that night.

His phone screen lights up in the darkness of his room, some other notification he can’t be bothered to check. And Langa can’t sleep.

His mouth is dry and tastes vaguely of iron.


End file.
